Shelby County Board of Education member Steve Martin says he voted against the separation agreement with Pelham due to concerns about families living in Pelham with children attending school in Chelsea.

COLUMBIANA, Alabama -- Shelby County Board of Education member Steve Martin on Thursday night voted against the proposed separation agreement with the Pelham school system.

Martin was the sole county board member to vote against the proposal, which was approved 3-1 at the meeting in Columbiana. "Basically what it amounts to is it was approved by one vote," he said, noting that another nay vote would have resulted in a tie.

Board President Aubrey Miller did not attend the meeting.

Martin said he disagreed with the way Pelham residents who are seeking de-annexation and want to remain in schools in Chelsea were handled in the separation process.

"I'm not going to vote on something I feel like is going to hurt the kids, and I'm not going to do that for someone's own personal agenda," he said in a phone interview after the county board's meeting.

The Pelham Board of Education unanimously approved the separation agreement Thursday night. The agreement includes provisions for students residing in Pelham and attending Shelby County's schools in Chelsea and the Oak Mountain area in the 2013-14 or 2014-15 academic years to remain through graduation.

Martin said he believes the separation will be a detriment for families living in Pelham who have been seeking to de-annex from the city.

"I represent the people of Shelby County and I know that there were concerns in the Chelsea community about having to commute to Pelham ... and they're being forced to go to Pelham schools," Martin said. "And the issue wasn't voted on by the people. Five council members decided they wanted a city school system."

Martin wanted Pelham to provide more support for the property owners seeking de-annexation over the matter. "Not settling the issue with the Chelsea situation ... was not good for the kids and not good for the community," he said.

Shelby County School District Superintendent Randy Fuller said much work went into creating the separation agreement.

"What could have been a difficult process was made easier by the parties' mutual pledge to remain focused on the best interests of students and their families," Fuller said in a statement released Thursday night.

The separation will not affect the quality of Shelby County's educational system, he added. "We have never been stronger academically or operationally, and our best days are yet to come," Fuller said.